Mr. Steele's daughter had been disappearing from her house every single evening - sharp at 7 PM. Although he didn't think of it as anything at first, there was something about his daughter's behavior that gave him shivers.
One day he follows Annie secretly, finding out she's heading to an abandoned house. Suddenly, he realizes how little he knew about his own daughter.
A Big House
Tom Steele lived with his five-year daughter on a six-hectare plot of land that had been in his family for over 100 years. His wife, Maya Steele had suffered some complications during labor and unfortunately, the doctors couldn't save her.
For Annie, her father was the only one that donned the robes of both her mom and dad. Therefore, she was immensely attached to him. Annie never hid anything from her dad, until this time ...
Dad and Daughter Duo
Tom worked as a financial broker for a huge firm. Despite his busy schedule, he often made time for his daughter because that was the only family he had.
Yeah, he had all the property in the world, but no one to share it with other than his daughter. Annie was everything that mattered, and therefore when he saw that scary note out of the blue, it left him in deep shock!
Daily Routine
Each morning, Tom used to wake Annie up, cook her some great breakfast, and pack her lunch for school. Quickly, Tom got ready on the side and dropped Annie off at school before leaving for office.
Annie Steele was a very sincere girl and liked by everyone in school. She was helpful and kind, but of late she had been behaving rather odd.
Not Regular
It was a Sunday evening when Tom noticed that his daughter opened the main door to leave the house exactly when the clock hit 7 PM. "Annie, is that you?" No reply.
Before Tom could get up and check on the door, he got an important call. Thinking that Annie must have gone out to play he didn't give any heed to it. That was the first mistake!
Second Mistake
On day 2, Monday, Annie again left the house at 7 PM without informing her dad. Again, Tom found it weird as Annie used to tell everything to him ...
However, thinking that his daughter is growing up and gaining a personality of her, he didn't interfere. "She must be out with some friends!" This was his second mistake.
Enough Is Enough
On Tuesday, once more, Annie left at 7 PM sharp without informing her dad. Now, this was the breaking point, because up until three days ago, Annie was never out of the house for more than half an hour! Now, she was gone for almost over an hour!
"This is getting weird now, I will have a chat with her when she's back," thought Tom. But, who knew, it wouldn't be as easy as Tom thought!
Back Home
Tom was strolling near the door, when Annie returned an hour later, around 8:15 PM. "Hey, honey did you have a good time with your friends? You've never really talked about them," said Tom, being as polite as he could.
"Dad, can I please have my dinner in room?" replied Annie, completely ignoring the question. "You know how it is honey - we have dinner together in this house," said Tom, thinking he'll ask again once they sit down to eat.
Stubborn
However, after dinner when Tom asked Annie once more about her recent outings, she again ignored her dad. "This is really frustrating Annie, you have to tell your dad where you go, what if something goes wrong?" said a visibly irritated Tom.
"Dad, I am really sleepy. Can you please read me a story?" replied Annie. Tom couldn't believe Annie's stubbornness. What could be the reason behind such behaviour?
A Plan
Tom Steele was not angry at his daughter but scared for her safety as well. "Am I overthinking," he thought to himself!
Tom decided that if he wanted that to find out, there was only one way. Of course, it wasn't right but he had to do it ...
Searching
Tom decided when Annie would leave the house the next time around, he was left with no other option but to follow her! The next morning, he looked through Annie's room to find some clue, until he came across that worrying note.
Until now, Tom was thinking of everything as a child's play. But now he was genuinely concerned. So, when the clock did strike 7 PM in the evening, this time Tom was ready.
STOP.
Tom followed Annie secretly but soon lost sight of her. Upon frantically searching the property, he finally spotted little Annie, running towards an abandoned house. "Annie ... STOP," he shouted - no response.
Before he could cross the road, Mr. Steele lost sight of Annie once again. Upon following up and entering that abandoned house, Mr. Steel realized the harrowing reason behind Annie's strange behavior of late ...
A Strange Figure
While hiding behind a bush, Tom saw Annie entering an abandoned house that earlier served as the home for his parents. He hadn't been there for around 10 years.
"What could Annie be doing here?" While thinking this, Tom's eyes caught a strange figure in one of the windows. It felt as if it was of a woman.
Voices
As soon as Annie entered the house, the figure disappeared. Unknown to his daughter, Tom followed her inside quietly to an upstairs room from where he could hear the voices coming.
Tom couldn't make out the conversation. Yet, he hid until his daughter left. He soon went inside the room to find the mystery of his daughter's sudden disappearance.
A Woman
Inside standing was an 80-year old woman. "Who are you and what were you doing with my daughter?" shrieked Tom.
Scared the woman broke down in front of Tom! What Tom Steele heard next, left him utterly shocked!
Donna's Story
"I am Donna. I used to live in a nursing home because my kids left me. However, I was quite sad as I had no friends, so I ran away from that place," said the 80-year-old.
"I lived on the streets for some time with all my dogs until I came across your daughter playing with my puppies! I had no one other than the dogs until I found a friend in your daughter," continued Donna.
Annie's Idea
"Unfortunately, I was finding it very hard to survive with very little food and no home, especially since it started getting cold. It was then that your daughter gave me an idea ..." said Donna.
"What was that?" asked Tom. "She asked me to come and stay here. I was fine for a month with enough food until I started running out of supplies again!"
Food and Shelter
"For the past few days, Annie used to bring me whatever food she could find. Your daughter has been a big help Mr. Steele," concluded Donna.
Tom couldn't believe what he heard. He was pissed at Annie but quite proud of her. He took Donna to his home and knocked at Annie's door!
Praises
"Annie, open up!" When she did, Tom went ahead and hugged his daughter. "I am so proud of you Annie but you should tell your dad everything," he said.
"I thought you wouldn't let Donna live with us!" replied Annie. Tom then mentioned how they'll help Donna and the dogs in every way possible.
A Full Meal
Hearning this, Annie went ahead and hugged her dad once again, whispering, "Thank You!" The three of them along with the dogs had a nice dinner, a hearty meal for Donna after years.
It was all because of Annie's kindness that Anna could find a new home.